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Empoli and Catanzaro kick off their 2024-25 Coppa Italia campaign when they square off at the Stadio Carlo Castellani on Saturday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since May 2005, when Roberto D'Aversa’s men picked up a thrilling 3-2 victory in their Serie B clash.
Empoli salvaged their Serie A status at the last chance saloon as they picked up a much-needed 2-1 victory over AS Roma in the season finale at the Stadio Carlo Castellani on May 26.
The win over Roma saw D'Aversa’s men escape the drop by the skin of their teeth as they finished 17th in the Serie A standings, just one point above the relegation zone.
Empoli put together a solid run of results in pre-season, where they picked up three wins and one draw from their five friendly matches.
Catanzaro, on the other hand, picked up 60 points from their 38 games in Serie B last season to finish fifth in the table and book their spot in the playoffs.
However, Fabio Caserta’s men were dumped out of the playoffs in the semi-finals courtesy of a 6-3 aggregate defeat against Cremonese.
Catanzaro were involved in three games during the off-season, beating Chisola 3-0 on July 27 before suffering back-to-back losses against Cagliari and Juventus Next Gen.
Empoli vs Catanzaro Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the third meeting between Empoli and Catanzaro, with D'Aversa’s men winning their previous two encounters.
- Empoli have failed to win four of their last five competitive games, losing twice and picking up two draws since late April.
- Catanzaro have won just two of their last eight matches across all competitions while losing five and picking up one draw in that time.
- Empoli are on a run of four straight competitive games without defeat on home turf, claiming three wins and one draw since the start of April.
Empoli vs Catanzaro Prediction
Coming off the back of a solid pre-season campaign, Empoli will head into Saturday’s tie with confidence as they take on a relatively inexperienced Catanzaro side. Given the gulf in quality between the two sides, we are backing D'Aversa’s men to come out on top in front of their home supporters.
Prediction: Empoli 3-1 Catanzaro
Empoli vs Catanzaro Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Empoli to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in six of Catanzaro’s last seven games)
Tip 3: First to score - Empoli (The hosts have opened the scoring in five of their last seven matches)
